1939: Trotsky in Mexico

Filmed right where Trotsky's ashes are interred, at where he lived in Coyoacan. I have a few errors, though: 1. Trotsky's murderer actually posed as an intellectual and showed Trotsky an article. While Trotsky was engrossed in it, he dealt the death blow. 2. It was an ice AXE, not an ice PICK.

If you have a spare day in Mexico City, though, it's worth it to head to Coyoacan and take in the Trotsky museum.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• 1939
• 1940
• Leon
• Trotsky
• Murder
• Coyoacan
• Stalin
• Adventure
• Mexico
• Travel
• Zzzptm

[larzkins]

Trotsky did not switch allegiance so much as he couldn't stand Stalin's totalitarian control. Trotsky claimed you cannot have socialism without democracy. So he really was not alongside Stalin or of the same party as Stalin at all. It seemed they agreed, but only to a point. He was against communist & capitalism; anyone against capitalism is an idiot. He deserves what he got. His socialist followers continued on with his rhetoric, ignoring human rights of the individual & meritocracy.

[zzzptm]

Indeed and I stand corrected. I should say that I recently watched the DVD documentary "Trotsky y Mexico: dos revolucionarios de XX Siglo", available at the Trotsky House - and with good English subtitles. It's an excellent documentary and I'm glad I purchased it there.

[lgkdancing507]

Very cool video, but how did you find out Kahlo and Rivera became friendly with Stalin? I can not find that information. Thanks.

[zzzptm]

Two sources:

1. In the Frida Kahlo Museum, there are two portraits of Stalin, painted by Kahlo. Both are from her later life, and they show Stalin in a very positive light. Also, over her deathbead, are portraits of Marx, Engels, Stalin, and Mao.

2. Rivera went to Russia for cancer treatment in the early 50's. That was possible only if one was on good terms with Uncle Joe.

[PsychoPunk1965]

Although I'm not a Trotskyist by any stretch of the imagination, I wouldn't mind visiting this museum.

[zzzptm]

One needn't be a Trotskyite to enjoy the historical significance of the place. It's beautifully maintained and quiet enough to allow one opportunity to reflect on what happened in and around the place.

[InsertNameHereN0w]

So cool. I want to visit that museum some time. Trotsky was an amazing man.

[MrXreloded]

In our memory his ideas will live on!

Don't forget this great man.

[fidomusic]

I visited the house a few months ago. Absolutley fascinating. I recommend it even if you are only marginally interested in Trotsky. In my case I was lucky enough to get a one on one tour in English!

[Porgot138]

For 43 years of my conscious life, I have remained a revolutionist; for 42 of them, I have fought under the banner of Marxism. If I had to begin all over again, I would, of course, try to avoid this or that mistake, but the main course of my life would remain unchanged. I shall die a proletarian revolutionist,

[JimmyeDallas]

Humanity has always been a hierarchical species, but the major condition for that is that knowledge and experience have been limited to few people, and thus opportunity. Women in western society would be a perfect example of this. Until they became part of the workforce, they had no say in anything but "what's for dinner". Now they can do virtually everything men can do and it's only been a less then a hundred years since they weren't able to vote.

[JimmyeDallas]

There are numerous reasons, but the ability for people to organize and share ideas was the major condition in my mind. You and I can both read and write, we can share ideas and voice our dissent from thousands of miles away, and there's nothing that can legally be done about it. From the perspective of slaves in an ancient society, affecting societal change was impossible without the right subjective conditions.

[franklikespolitics]

I like your answer but I meant, when slavery first arose or for example in Greek and Roman times, what if any objective condition had to exist before a slave owning economy could exist?

[JimmyeDallas]

That's a very good question. (Using your country as an example) I obviously would say that racial indifference was a major subjective condition for why chattel slavery lasted for so long in America, but economic disparity in the South obviously was the major objective condition. Civil change almost always relies on both a good economic environment and unified social structure.

[franklikespolitics]

I would agree that Libertarianism in the US is repackaged fascism. I would like to ask you a question, to see how we differ in the answer. What objective condition, if any had to exist before slavery could exist? Specifically chattel slavery.

[JimmyeDallas]

Chomsky is an important figure, but hasn't contributed much to anarcho-syndicalist thought. Emma Goldman and Peter Kropotkin are closest to my views but I view their revolutionary rhetoric as indicative of the plight of the industrial era.

[JimmyeDallas]

Marx never lived to see the socialist experiment in Russia. So I've never found the use of the term Marxist to be appropriate when referring to the Soviet Union.

Do you understand that their are two strands of socialism? Statist and Libertarian. Obviously the difference is determined by the amount of direct democracy, as opposed to a representative one, or none at all. The libertarian movement has always been a workers movement. Libertarianism in the United States is repackaged fascism.

[franklikespolitics]

What exactly do you stand for? I hear Libertarian a lot. Are you anti Marxism? And pro "Representative Democracy", as its alleged we have in the US. Does Noam Chomsky best reflect what you believe in?